The Biden administration demands that TikTok be sold, or risk a nationwide ban | Hacker News Reader

The Biden administration demands that TikTok be sold, or risk a nationwide ban

npr.org

13 pointszephrx111114 comments

I was hoping to see in the article some kind of context for where the US federal government is drawing its authority to ban Americans from voluntarily using a social media app whose owners are based in China.

Rule of law? What gave you the idea that was relevant when “national security” is at stake?

Isn't the US allowed to restrict or prohibit trade of any product sold by any country within its borders? Is the US not legally allowed to prohibit the sale of Cuban cigars, Canadian medicine, or European Kinder Eggs?

The ban on Cuban cigars was more accurately a sanction of Cuba the country, and a related ban on imported goods from Cuba. Medicine from Canadian companies isn’t banned, but medicine sold in the US has to comply with safety regulations. Likewise, Kinder eggs are regulated due to food safety concerns.

All of those have a tie back to existing authority held by the federal government. Banning a mobile phone app that shows people digital content doesn’t seem to have a similar connection.

Don't see how there's no connection. If they can ban Kinder Eggs for "food safety" concerns then they can ban TikTok for "spying" concerns. The fact that it's software doesn't and shouldn't make it exempt. Why would it?

Can they ban the Signal app for obfuscating criminal communications?

Once the precedent is set with TikTok, it seems so.

False equivalence, but probably. You seem to be arguing that software is special and can (or should) never be banned like other products, but I'm not sure why you think so. You don't think there's any software that should be bannable? I don't see any argument against other products being bannable so what's the disconnect?

No; that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that for the federal government to restrict something, they need to be able to tie it back to authority they hold. The default in the US is that the government cannot restrict the behavior of private entities, and the burden is on them to justify why they would be able to.

There’s already plenty of software that is banned in various US jurisdictions. The most obvious example is when the US shut down online gambling.

If the government announced tomorrow that they’re planning to ban sliding doors, or Toyota trucks, or standing desks, I’d have the same question. Software vs physical is not the relevant factor here.

China pls make some counter demands. Maybe the US can cut the MIL complex budget/employment guarantee scheme by the same dollar amount. Put the money in an joint org that improves things on the net.

China could demand FB be sold, or else face national ba... oh wait.

Americans are starting to understand how Europeans feel about Silicon Valley internet companies in EU.

Americans don't like Chinese internet companies gobbling their data and yet they are surprised that Europeans don't like it either from American companies.

The Biden administration is demanding that Chinese-owned TikTok be sold, or the popular video app could face a ban in the U.S., according to a TikTok spokesperson.

It’s very scary stuff, the Chinese government potentially getting its hands on the knowledge that I enjoy cute animal videos.

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